Valparaiso
Though nearby San Antonio has become the country’s most commercially important seaport in terms of tonnage moved, the City of Valparaíso remains a vibrant center of Chilean culture. The Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area (which includes Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Villa Alemana) has the third-largest concentration of population in the country after Greater Santiago and Greater Concepción.

Callao (Lima), Peru
The lemon-colored Convento de San Francisco was built over a century starting in 1673. The Plaza Mayor was laid out under the direction of conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The Cathedral of Lima was built starting in 1535 and while it seems construction has never quite stopped, the church retains its colonial facade. These structures and more form the historic center of Lima, which UNESCO has collectively designated as a World Heritage Site. The grand old buildings attest to Lima's longtime role as one of the queen cities of the Spanish empire. Today's cruise visitors will find an economic power, a financial center, and, thanks to Spanish, Andean, and Asian influences, one of the gastronomic capitals of the Americas.

Salaverry (Trujillo), Peru
To the north is the "Lordiest City" of Trujillo, founded in 1535 and still rich in ornate colonial detail. At its edge, far older and long abandoned by the Chimu Indians, sits the eerie adobe metropolis of Chan Chan.

Manta, Ecuador
Just outside this tranquil coast town lie the villages where the famous Panama hats are woven. Farther afield: colonial Quito, so perfectly preserved the entire Old Town has been designated a World Heritage Site.

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica
It's hard to throw a stick in Costa Rica and not have it hit a national park. The city of Puerto Caldera, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, has a number of them within easy reach for cruise visitors. Just to the south, Carara is a mecca for birders, especially those chasing the scarlet macaw. Poas Volcano is inland, and rises to nearly 9,000 feet. See it before it blows again. Barra Honda contains a series of limestone caves. Palo Verde preserves one of the last tropical dry rainforests in Central America. Arenal has the most active volcano in the country. Tapanti contains species of orchids discovered only in 2009. Grab your hiking boots and a pair of binoculars. It's all a feast, wherever you go.

Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
Puerto Chiapas is the Pacific gateway to the Mayan world. Just north of the Guatemalan border on southern Mexico's Pacific Coast, the port is the starting point for excursions to the ruins at Izapa. Founded around 1500 BCE, Izapa is noted for its large, intricately carved "Tree of Life" stone. Nearer port, explore San Cristobal de Las Casas cathedral, journey to a rainforest, or shop for local handicrafts like stone carvings or colorful textiles. Or, simply wander the beaches and take in the untamed and exotic surroundings.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta squeezed into the thin space between Banderas Bay and the verdant folds of the Sierra Madre. It's no longer the well-kept secret of the artists, writers and Hollywood stars who first "discovered" it in the 1960s, but "PV" (as it is affectionately known) still retains the essence of the fishing village it once was. Viejo Vallarta, the old town, is a mix of red-tiled buildings, cobbled streets, chic shops and busy open markets. Other highlights include Mismaloya Beach, Gringo Gulch, and Conchas Chinas, the Beverly Hills of Vallarta. Head inland for more adventure, up into the rugged canyons and luxuriant jungles of the mountains.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
It's desert, beach, blue surf and big fish along the southern tip of Baja California. Cabo San Lucas is the entertainment hub and the end of the road, where the peninsula goes off a cliff into the sea. San Jose del Cabo is the old town, and exudes classic Mexico. In between the two cities, the resort-fringed coast is slathered in sunshine. Cruise visitors will find that Cabo is fine, the shopping divine, and the beaches all shine. Lover's Beach is a great place to see the arch at Land's End. Medano and Chileno beaches are placid and lovely. Las Playitas is a series of mini-beaches tucked into weathered coves.

San Diego, California, US
Beautiful, brilliant San Diego has the sun, the beaches, and the climate to die for. But don't let that fool you – the city is a power. It's the sixth-largest city in the U.S. and a center for military industry, trade, and biotechnology. Of course, it's a great place for cruise visitors. The San Diego Zoo is one of the world's best. Balboa Park is both a natural space and a collection of wonderful museums. Old Town is a colorful gaggle of shops and restaurants. Oh, and the beaches: Coronado, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla. The forecast is for a high of about 75 degrees. Every day. Sigh.

Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Hello, England. Fancy meeting you here! Victoria is a city that started as Salish Village, spent a roustabout adolescence as a main port for gold prospectors and opium traders, and then transformed itself into an icon of British gentility after the completion of the trans-Canada railroad put neighboring Vancouver in the ascendant. Two events were seminal: the opening of Butchart Gardens in 1904 and the completion of the Empress Hotel in 1908. Butchart is a collection of gardens more than a single garden -- highlights for cruise visitors include the Sunken Garden (built from a former limestone quarry), the Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Rose Garden (breathe deeply). The Empress Hotel is merely a national icon. Come in for high tea.

Vancouver, B.C., CA
If you could watch the history of Vancouver as a time-lapse movie, you'd see the creation of a sawmill and a community that grew up around it, which then became the townsite of Granville. Then comes the railroad, and development of the great natural harbor. Then: a sudden linkage to the Orient, Eastern Canada, and Europe. Immigrants come, business blooms, and the skyscrapers rise up along Burrard Inlet, always with the mountains visible in the spaces between the buildings. Go for the galleries, boutiques, public markets, and restaurants of every flavor. Visit vibrant Chinatown and Stanley Park, with its 1,000 acres of forests, gardens, lakes and lawns in the heart of the city.

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